


Where it Went Wrong

by laijunchen



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Reflection, intropsection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2014-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 20:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1755803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laijunchen/pseuds/laijunchen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>~Looking back on the initial confrontation with Aizen in the fake Karakura, Ichigo realizes what he should have done differently, what he should have said. He should have been annoyed, not confused. He should have been nothing but enraged.<br/>~Looking back on his battle with Kurosaki, Aizen couldn't understand it. Despite all his power, and planning, and his best efforts he would spend the next 20,000 years wondering where it all went wrong.<br/>~Just a two part drabble about the final battle between Aizen and Ichigo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death by Hubris

**Death by Hubris**

Looking back on the confrontation, Ichigo knew what he should have done, what he should have said. The month of rest he’d had after he’d defeated Aizen was due to more than just losing his powers as a Shinigami. He hadn’t thought of it much until now, but now that he had time to actually stop and think instead of making a headlong rush into everything, he could see that he’d been exhausted, both physically and mentally.

The Ichigo that had confronted the Vaizard in desperation had been at his wits end and the confidence he’d gained while training with them had been stripped from him in less than twelve hours. The feeling of accomplishment that came with defeating Grimmjow had almost instantly been replaced by dread at encountering Nnoitra. Nell’s transformation to a full grown woman did nothing but cause confusion and concern to well in him. His battle with Ulquiorra did nothing but terrify, upset, and further confuse him. He hadn’t had time to be fully healed by Inoue as his friends were being decimated by Yammi and Aizen had already entered the world of the living intent on destroying Karakura, if not the whole goddamn world. When he finally reached the fake Karakura he finds almost all of his allies were half-dead and that his sword cannot reach the ex-taichou, even after all of his frantic training.

He’d been training and fighting for days with little sleep and even less rest between each new battle. His friends and family, his entire world was on the verge of destruction and he still lacked the power to save anyone or anything. And after all of this, Aizen decides that now is a good time to tell him that he’d orchestrated some of the biggest and most important events in his life. Events that were only second to the death of his beloved mother, and that was saying something. What else had he been expected to do but be shocked and confused, and so very frightened. He’d been thrown for such a loop that he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. But looking back, he knew. He very easily remembered the smug expression on Aizen’s face he knew that there was only one emotion he should felt:

Kurosaki Ichigo should have been _annoyed._ He should have absolutely **_enraged_**.

At first, he had only been able to register the sensation of his world lurching, tilting- completely _staggering_ as it tried to right itself while still processing the unbelievable truths he was suddenly faced with. He was bloody well  reeling from the shock of learning that Aizen had basically _choreographed_ his life for so many months, choreographed his struggle to power and position as ‘savior.’ He was reeling if for no other reason than that the _goddamn evil genius_ had the astounding ability to calculate not only his moves, thoughts, and decisions, but those of all the people he’d encountered on that path to power. The notion of such a feat seemed preposterous, but he knew that Aizen wasn’t lying. No one but he and Byakuya knew of his partial hollowfication at the Soukyoku. And none but he Ishida, and Inoue should have known about the powered he’d gained- the power he’d nearly lost himself to- during his fight with Ulquiorra. Observation, espionage, and interest were the only things that could explain such knowledge. His brain finally caught up with the wannabe- god was saying: all his battles to this point had been planned out.

For a moment Ichigo was surprised that Aizen held so much confidence in him, in the notion that whatever was put in his path would be overcome. Another moment passed and he refocused his attention on his brunette opponent, berating himself for being so distracted in the first place. He refocused on Aizen, his nonchalant voice, his leisurely stance (or rather, lack thereof), his self-satisfied expression, and suddenly the irritation, annoyance, the outright anger resurfaced in him.

The arrogant bastard thought he could take credit for all of his accomplishments. This self-righteous ass was acting as if he had all of Ichigo’s battles himself. And all the teen could think was: ‘How dare he? How _dare_ he?!’ 

Aizen Sousuke may have designed and scheduled every one of his battles, but it was Kurosaki Ichigo who had trained, and fought, and _won_ each of those battles. How dare this traitorous bastard try to take credit for any of it- for either his victories or his losses. Those things were _his_ , and his alone. He’d earned every scar, every night lost to training instead of sleep, every bruise, every _ounce_ of pain. They were his and (regardless that sentiment implied that he was completely masochistic/ despite the masochism the sentiment implied he suffered from) he wouldn’t trade anything for these things.

 He knew that he wouldn’t even have traded these things for the return of his mother because they both would regret what he had sacrificed- most especially her, and he would never allow her to suffer on his account. She’d sacrificed her life to save his life and all that he could become, and he would never allow her sacrifice to be in vain. And for that most of all he should have been furious with Aizen Sousuke. He was taking from him and his mother, and those who had taught and inspired him- Rukia, Urahara, Yoroichi, Hirako- he was taking the triumphs of not just him, but of everyone entrenched in his life.

Looking back he was sure that if he’d had the presence of mind to realize these things that he would have easily allowed his hollow to slip his leash and bash Aizen’s skull in. of course, after that he probably would have- at the very least- killed Soi Fon-taichou for always belittling him and then the Soutaichou for having the audacity to tell him that the battle with Aizen was none of his concern. After the two of them, who knew who else he might have butchered? For his restraint alone he was glad that he hadn’t quite grasped Aizen’s words or even what was going on, really.

In the end he supposed he could forgive his slow, exhausted mind. After all, it was in that state, with nothing but a bit more training that he managed to fight on par with man who would be a god and win. In the end, he decided that he could be content in the knowledge that it was arrogance, the same arrogance that made him think he could take credit for his accomplishments, that killed defeated him in the end. Aizen Sousuke had had so much faith that he would overcome all the trials that he’d set in front him. With such faith and high expectations the man should have known that Ichigo had to be the first on his hit list. Arrogance that he knew the orange-haired inside and out, arrogance that he could allow him to live to the end. It was all so ironic.

Death by hubris. Kurosaki Ichigo was sure he’d never before heard anything so poetic.


	2. The Power of God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He would spend the next twenty thousand years contemplating his failure and deciding exactly when or where everything went wrong."

**The Power of God**

 

He couldn’t understand it. Even as he sat, bound and helpless, before the new Central 46 council he couldn’t quite comprehend how it had all come to this.

               He had not made a mistake, as he was sure most everyone thought, by not killing Kurosaki Ichigo early in the game. In truth, no matter how absurd it sounded, he had assumed (hoped) that once the orange haired teen reached an equal level of power- power that could rival a god- that he would understand and join him in his quest to truly become ‘God.’ He had trusted ( _hoped_ ) that Ichigo would understand such power and the responsibility and solitude that came with it. He knew the boy was intelligent and had thought ( ** _hoped_** ) that he would come to understand, to realize the necessity of overthrowing the royal house.

               In truth, Aizen Sousuke had longed ( ** _hoped, damnitt_** ) for a companion.

               From the moment he had grasped the power of Kyoka Suigetsu he had been alone. Young though he had been at the time, he had instinctively known that his power was _more_ : more than his peers, more than any seated officer in the Gotei thirteen, more than any nobility turned Shinigami, more than the So-taichou. 

               And now, despite all his power, and planning, and his best efforts to rule the world… now he would spend the next twenty thousand years contemplating his failure and deciding exactly when or where everything went wrong.

 


End file.
